Grassroots coaching course helps to build Youth Coaches.

This course is designed to teach coaches on how to coach children between the ages of 6 and 12 on how to play football. Over 20 coaches and players involved in Football are taking part in the course. The course brings together a wide range of participants who play an active role in grassroots football from various clubs and villages. Oceania Football Confederation Head of Education and Training Program Didier Chambaron and Player Development Officer Daniel Shirley are both conducting the course. Both instructors bring with them a vast knowledge and experience on football and coaching. Chambaron who comes from France, played as a football defender in the French third level. Shirley, who’s main role is player development officer explained the importance of coaching especially at the grassroots level. “I believe coaching is very much about understanding the players you are working with and providing an environment that meets their needs. Understanding football is key to being a successful football coach”.The Grassroots Coaching course is a vital part of the strategic plan for Football in Samoa. Coaches at this level will be hugely important to kids interested in playing football as they are the first point of contact for kids in the sport. They have an opportunity to make lasting impression at this age level and the reward for them will be to see their players progress through the age levels and ultimately to the National Teams.While the course will focus on coaching children, it is vital for any athlete to receive the proper training and coaching at an early age. FFS CEO Sarai Bareman put across this point during the course opening. “This course is vitally important to the future of Football in Samoa. We have put a lot of resource & time into rebuilding senior level football and now we have the activities running and the infrastructure in place, it’s time to focus on the children. To improve the level of Football in our country and ultimately the performance of our teams on the International Playing field we must start from at the grassroots level and that’s what this course is all about.” The course will run from Monday to Friday with practical and theoretical sessions and will culminate on Friday 3rd August with a festival of Football for children aged 6 to 12 years commencing at 2.30pm. This will be followed by a closing ceremony with guest speaker and FIFA Development Officer Glenn Turner making the closing address. FIFA Grassroots football equipment will also be distributed at the closing to ensure that football activities for the children will continue in the future.

About FFS

Football Federation Samoa (FFS) was founded in 1968. The federation has been through a challenging period in recent years with FIFA setting up a normalisation committee in 2008. A spell of inactivity followed for the next two years as the sport was rebuilt in Samoa but the normalisation period ended at the beginning of 2011 with the election to president of Toetu Petana. Reverend Laupama Solomona is the current President and he is supported in his role by CEO Faumuina Michael Kapisi.